There are a variety of stringed musical instruments employing electrical pickups for sensing string vibrations to be amplified and played through loud speakers. The early electric guitars produced in the 1930's generally were conventional acoustic guitars with pickups mounted on the top of the large open cavity body. Today, this instrument is referred to as a "hollowbody" style guitar.
Although the conventional wood hollowbody electric guitar is capable of producing comparatively mellow tones, akin to an acoustic guitar, at least a couple of disadvantages have been ascribed to this type guitar. The large size, open cavity body resonates easily at moderate high volumes and relatively low frequencies and is therefore susceptible to feedback and may require electronic filtering. Also, the body of this type guitar is fabricated by gluing together numerous pieces of thin wood. This is a fragile, easily damaged, structure. Tonal properties of the instrument can be adversely affected by any loose glue joints or cracked panels.
Some instrument makers have proposed that the body of the instrument be fabricated from sheet metal to alter the tonal characteristics and provide a more durable structure. H. Wachwitz in his U.S. Pat. No. 1,210,368 granted Dec. 26, 1916, for "RESONANCE BODY FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS" proposed that the body of the violin be fabricated from sheet metal. He proposed to use sheet aluminum coated on both sides with another metal such as gold, silver, cobalt, nickel or copper. His coating was to be applied prior to fabrication of the violin body, either in a mechanical way or according to an electrolytic process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,408, granted Nov. 13, 1973, to R. O. Wright for "GUITAR BODY" discloses a guitar body fabricated of shaped strips of metal which are welded together. Wright proposed extensive internal bracing for the body to provide for the attachment of strings and electronic components. The Wright guitar is representative of that class, or type, of electric guitar which is generally referred to as the "semisolid body" guitar. Such guitars are difficult to fabricate, expensive to produce, and offer the opportunity for loose joints to occur.
Another example of the semisolid body guitar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,007, granted Jan. 8, 1963, to G. F. Burke for "GUITAR CONSTRUCTION". Burke proposed to provide a cast metal neck having a body portion extending down the middle of the body and through the entire length of the body. The body was completed by wood side body portions bolted to the sides of the body portion of the neck and covered by top and bottom wood plates.
The many joints between the Burke guitar neck and body can come loose in use and ruin the tonal qualities of the instrument. Such results are almost assured because of the different coefficients of expansion of the metal neck and the wood body portions. In addition, the metal neck is heavy and can be uncomfortable to hold in cold weather.
Another example of a semisolid body guitar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,004, granted Apr. 10, 1990, to E. Clough for "BODY FOR AN ELECTRONIC STRINGED INSTRUMENT". The body of this guitar has an inner metal chassis provided with a removable and replaceable outer body shell. The body shell is molded in plastic as separate top and bottom pieces which are held together with screws. This construction is also susceptible to the body parts becoming loose and affecting the tonal qualities of the instrument.
The third style of body commonly used for electric guitars is the "solidbody". This style has been popularized in large measure by the Gibson Company with its Les Paul line of guitars. The solidbody is just that; it is made of a solid piece or pieces of wood, plastic, or metal. A version of the solidbody with the neck extending into and becoming a part of the body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,073, granted Nov. 21, 1978, to Y. Takabayashi for "ELECTRIC GUITAR"
Another version of the solidbody guitar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,850, granted Feb. 19, 1980 to C. W. Kaman, II for "FOAMED PLASTIC GUITAR CONSTRUCTION". This guitar is comprised of a separate body and neck made of a metallic frame combined with a mass of structural foamed plastic.
The tonal qualities of the solidbody tend to be "bright" as opposed to the mellow tones of the acoustic guitar. Solidbodies are quite durable, although those fabricated in more than one piece may be susceptible to splitting and loosening at the joints. And, solidbodies afford greater sustain characteristics than the other body styles and are preferred by some musicians for this reason.
The principal drawback to the solidbody guitar is weight. It is simply too heavy for some guitarists.
There continues to be a need for a lightweight, durable, aesthetically pleasing instrument offering a mix of tonal characteristics and sustain of the three body style guitars described above.